Am Fam Physician

Management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Botoman VA. Bonner GF. Botoman DA.
Cleveland Clinic Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, USA.
Patients with an inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, have recurrent symptoms with considerable morbidity. Patient involvement and education are necessary components of effective management. Mild disease requires only symptomatic relief and dietary manipulation. Mild to moderate disease can be managed with 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds, including olsalazine and mesalamine. Mesalamine enemas and suppositories are useful in treating proctosigmoiditis. Antibiotics such as metronidazole may be required in patients with Crohn's disease. Corticosteroids are beneficial in patients with more severe symptoms, but side effects limit their use, particularly for chronic therapy. Immunosuppressant therapy may be considered in patients with refractory disease that is not amenable to surgery. Inflammatory bowel disease in pregnant women can be managed with 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds and corticosteroids. Since longstanding inflammatory bowel disease (especially ulcerative colitis) is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer, periodic colonoscopy is warranted.

Testicular masses.

Year 1998
Junnila J. Lassen P.
U.S. Army Health Clinic, Butzbach, Germany.
Family physicians often must evaluate patients with testicular pain or masses. The incidental finding of a scrotal mass may also require evaluation. Patients may seek evaluation of a scrotal mass as an incidental finding. An accurate history combined with a complete examination of the male external genitalia will help indicate a preliminary diagnosis and proper treatment. Family physicians must keep in mind the emergency or "must not miss" diagnoses associated with testicular masses, including testicular torsion, epididymitis, acute orchitis, strangulated hernia and testicular cancer. Referral to a urologist should be made immediately if one of these diagnoses is suspected. Benign causes of scrotal masses, including hydrocele, varicocele and spermatocele, may be diagnosed and managed easily in the primary care office.

Detecting celiac disease in your patients.

Year 1998
Pruessner HT.
University of Texas Medical School at Houston, USA.
Celiac disease is a genetic, immunologically mediated small bowel enteropathy that causes malabsorption. The immune inflammatory response to gluten frequently causes damage to many other tissues of the body. The condition is frequently underdiagnosed because of its protean presentations. New prevalence data indicate that symptomatic and latent celiac disease is present in one of 300 people of European descent. Age of onset ranges from infancy to old age. Symptomatic presentations include general ill-health, as well as dermatologic, hematologic, musculoskeletal, mucosal, dental, psychologic and neurologic diseases. Celiac disease has a 95 percent genetic predisposition and, thus, it is frequently associated with autoimmune conditions such as diabetes mellitus type 1 and thyroid disease. Untreated patients have an increased incidence of osteoporosis and intestinal lymphoma. Excellent diagnostic screening tests are now available, including those that detect antigliadin and antiendomysial antibodies. Therapy with a gluten-free diet is effective, resulting in complete resolution of symptoms and secondary complications in almost all patients. Local and national celiac-sprue associations facilitate care of patients with celiac disease and support dietary compliance.

Calcium channel antagonists: morbidity and mortality--whats the evidence?

Year 1998
Straka RJ. Swanson AL. Parra D.
University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, Minneapolis, USA.
Recent studies have shown an association between the use of calcium channel antagonists for the treatment of hypertension and an increased risk of myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and cancer. The interpretation of the results of these studies and their application to clinical practice requires an understanding of study design constraints, conflicting results and limitations in extrapolating study findings to other dosage strengths, formulations or agents within the calcium channel antagonist class. A review and critique of these studies provides background information on the controversial subject of using calcium channel antagonists for the treatment of hypertension. Despite the limitations of these studies, clinicians may want to select other classes of agents, including diuretics and beta blockers, as first-line therapy until the morbidity and mortality effects related to the use of calcium channel antagonists are clearly known.